Advance Review: Atomic Robo #4.1: Revenge of the Vampire Dimension

It’s a welcome moment when I receive word that the latest issue of Atomic Robo is set to arrive on stands. It’s even better to know that the creative team of Brian Clevinger and Scott Wegener still haven’t dropped the ball in their latest Atomic Robo story.

Atomic Robo #4.1
Writer: Brian Clevinger
Artist: Scott Wegener
Colors: Ronda Pattison
Letters: Jeff Powell
Publisher: Red 5 Comics

I hate job interviews.  Nothing is worse than going in to meet someone you’ve never met before, sit in clothes that are totally uncomfortable, and hope that I’m able to bring more to table than the other guy who wants the job as much (or more) than me.  At least I’ve never had to fight vampires as part of the interview.

That’s not the case for Bernard Fischer who’s applying to be the latest Action Scientist at Tesladyne. Fortunately, they’re not vampires the way we think of vampires. Unfortunately, they are ageless, super-strong monsters, that feed on the blood of the living.

This issue sings as far as the writing goes.  From the moment the reader meets Bernarnd, they are exposed to a lot of the workings of Tesladyne.  Readers are exposed to Robo in his every day life, and even though he’s not saving the universe, he still encounters plenty of action.  It’s a good thing he has such a good support staff to keep the monsters at bay.  In addition to many of the other characters inhabiting the world of Atomic Robo, readers are introduced to Jenkins, a bare knuckle killing machine.  While he’s able to terminate the vampires with extreme prejudice, it’s his off-panel slaying of the monsters that crack me up the most in this issue.  I like that readers don’t see Jenkins getting all messy, instead relying on the reaction shots of bystanders Jenkins is in the process of saving.

Since this is an advanced review, I don’t want to spoil the entire ending, but… Bernard lands the job, the world is saved, and Robo continues to deliver some of the best lines in the issue.  The story is fast paced, slaying the vampire hordes gives just enough gory action, and continued blending of science, humor, and adventure make this issue sing.

Interestingly, Wegener has gone to great lengths to hide the face of Tesla from audiences since the beginning of the title.  However, those that are paying close attention to the background will see Robo’s father hanging on the wall in Robo’s office.  It’s one of those nice touches that readers will need to be looking for to get.  No matter if it is the Lego headed T-Shirt Robo wears, or the Remain Calm messages that appear during the vampire attack, it’s nice to see Wegener going the extra distance to add the little details to each and every panel.

The Good

• Bernard’s complete confusion in dealing with the whole situation
• The art continues to rock
• The loser saves the day
• Jenkins
• Pay attention to the backgrounds

The Bad

• There’s a bad?

If you’ve never read Atomic Robo, then there is something seriously wrong with you. This first issue is a great jumping on point as it is a done in one story.  The central character is an Average Joe we can all identify with, and the payoff is well worth the time, and money for the issue.